Hickok 45, tnoutdoors9, and Sootchoo are my three favorite Youtuber gun guys. The first two are in Tennessee, but they’re in Middle Tennessee and I’m in the East so I’ve never met them. *Don’t tell anyone, but Hickok like Glocks.*

The video gives a good explanation. I think that it is also interesting that the “active ingredients” in nearly all “smokeless” powders are nitrocellulose, and/or Nitroglycerin, and/or Nitroguanidine with various “stabilizers” which are basically absorbed into granuals of various shapes and sizes. That is why every time you open a continer of smokeless powder you always almost get the same familiar odor.

The shape and size of the granuals are designed for both burn rate and also ease of metering in some cases. Of course there are volumes of information on both the chemical and physical properties of various smokeless powders. They are produced by various processes.

As he said... it is very important to keep meticulous notes on your recipes when you are doing reloads with smokeless powders. They are designed with som many different burn rates and other characterisitics. There are many powders that take only half as much to get the same velocities out of the same cartridges. It is very fun however to test new recipes using your chronograph and various projectiles. You can spend hours experimenting to find the perfect combination.

I cast my own bullets also and he is right... sometimes times the type lube you use on them can make almost as much smoke as black powder especially if you are casting rifle bullets with lube grooves and gas checks. But it still is not as messy. It is a very fun and interesting hobby.. and saves money.. although sometimes if you figure how much you can put into equipment and supplies... it is along the same lines as how hunting and fishing reduce your food bill in the lower 48.

I generally use a beeswax, paraffin and grease mixture that I buy already mixed. It is expensive but a little goes a long way and it works good. I “pan lube” with it... I melt the mixture then pour it into a pan with the bullets standing up and then pull them out after the mixture hardens which leaves lube in the grooves. I can see how Crisco would be easier to apply, but my concern would be that the Crisco would melt at fairly low temperatures.

Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.